Students Kick Butts

In collaboration with the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) and Reality Illinois Teens Against Tobacco, students from five area high schools – Crystal Lake Central, Johnsburg, Marian Central, Woodstock and Woodstock North – and McHenry County College celebrated National Kick Butts Day.  This year, each school chose a different theme to represent the damaging effects of smoking which included:

• a shoe display to show the 443,000 lives lost each year to tobacco-related diseases;
• a demonstration of household poisons that are found in cigarettes (arsenic, ammonia, formaldehyde);
• a second-hand smoke display with a pledge wall for smoke-free homes and cars;
• an information table with facts about tobacco industry manipulation;
• educating students about smokeless tobacco and collecting signatures for a petition to ban its use in major league baseball.

Each year, teachers, youth leaders, and advocates participate in Kick Butts Day activities as a national day of activism to empower youth to stand out, speak up and take action against Big Tobacco at more than 2,000 events from coast to coast. 

This project is made possible by funds received from the Illinois Department of Public Health.  Visit www.mcdh.info for information on smoking cessation classes or call 815-334-4510.